The present invention relates to data storage and transmission systems and more particularly relates to monitoring systems for accumulating data at remote locations and transmitting the data to a central location. More particularly, the present invention is particularly intended for use as a television receiver monitoring system for collecting data relative to viewing habits and viewing preferences of television viewers and for transmitting the data to a central location. In accordance with one embodiment the present invention also relates to a system in which individual television receivers may be controlled to display substitute programming.
The prior art is replete with various systems and arrangements for monitoring viewing habits of television viewers. The earliest such systems merely collected data on site for eventual manual collection as to the T.V. channels viewed and the times of viewing for determining market share and ratings of various television programs. Later, systems came into being for use with cable T.V. systems with two way communications over the cable system. Typically on such a system the television sets are interrogated periodically from the central location over the cable with the channel and time information being sent back to the central location and logged for statistical compilation. Such systems have also been used in the past in so-called pay T.V. systems in which billing information is sent over the cable system to a central location. The prior art also includes such systems in which a memory means is provided at the remote location, i.e., television receiver, for accumulating data as to channel being viewed and time. The accumulated data is then transmitted over conventional telephone lines from the remote locations to the central location, by telephone calls initiated by either the remote stations or the central location.
Presently, systems for remotely accumulating data regarding the habits of television viewers and their qualitative reaction to material has become important from the standpoint of market research. For example, the effectiveness of television commericals can be monitored by correlating viewing of those commercials with subsequent purchase decisions made by panelists whose viewing habits are being monitored. One manner of achieving this is to have the cooperating panelists keep a diary as to purchase of products. Alternatively, in areas where universal product code automated check-outs are available, such as grocery stores and the like, a consumer makes his or her purchases and at the check-out counter presents a card coded with a unique scanner i.d. similar to the universal product code symbol on the products purchased. The store's computer can automatically retain such purchase data for subsequent transfer to a market research company computer data base for correlation with the data regarding that purchasers viewing of commercials.
In market research relating to commercials and their effectiveness, it also is sometimes important to evaluate the effectiveness of alternate forms of a commercial. One way of achieving this in the context of a cable T.V. system is to split the subscribers or panelists into two or more groups, and then show alternate commercials to the various groups. Correlation of the purchase information regarding those panelists with the commercials they viewed then can be used to assess the effectiveness of the various forms of the commercial. Systems have also been proposed in which, in the context of a cable T.V. system, substitute programming i.e., alternate forms of commercials, can be effected at selected of the subscribers television sets by control information transmitted over the cable, including the addresses of the particular subscriber remote locations which are to receive the alternate programming.
The present invention relates to an improved system and method which is of particular utility in market research type applications, but which is not limited thereto.